Best Knife Sets: Which Ones Are Worth It, and When to Buy Knives One by One

From the kitchen: Gerzsi once tried to count the slots in a 15-piece knife block, lost track at eleven, and decided to read the test results instead.

A knife set looks like the easy answer. One box, one price, every knife matched. The catch is that one brand rarely makes the best version of every knife, and a big block often fills up with blades you never touch. America’s Test Kitchen found that sets usually save money, but not always. One of their top picks costs more as a set than its three knives bought separately.

We didn’t test these ourselves, and Chef Tamás hasn’t reviewed these sets, so the rankings below are the testers’. America’s Test Kitchen used every knife in every set. Chef’s knives diced onions, minced parsley, broke down raw chicken and chopped butternut squash. Bread knives sliced sourdough, tomatoes and BLTs. Paring knives handled shallots, strawberries, oranges and apples. They also checked each chef’s knife for sharpness before and after testing. Reviewed ran its own test of eleven sets on onions, basil, apples, citrus, bread and hard cheese. Where the two agree, we trust it. Where they don’t, we say so.

If you are waiting for Black Friday, count the knives you will really use before a big discount on a 15-piece block tempts you. We collect tested picks that actually drop in price on our Black Friday kitchen deals page.

Quick picks

The sets, side by side

Knife set	What’s in it	Price	Tester verdict
Victorinox 4-Piece Fibrox · See today’s price	8″ chef’s, 10.25″ bread, 6″ utility, 4″ paring. No block	Not listed by ATK	ATK Winner: “Every blade aced its testing.” Paring handle is bulky.
Mercer Millennia 3-Piece Starter · See today’s price	8″ chef’s, 10″ bread, 3.5″ paring. No block	Under $100, per ATK	ATK Best Buy. Costs 18.3% more than buying the three knives separately.
Build-your-own 3-knife kit · See today’s price	Victorinox 8″ chef’s, Victorinox 3.25″ paring, Mercer 10″ bread	Priced knife by knife	Each knife is a tester pick on its own.
Shun Premier 5-Piece In-Drawer · See today’s price	8″ chef’s, 9″ bread, 6.5″ utility, 4″ paring, wooden tray	Not listed by ATK	ATK Upgrade Pick: “razor-sharp knives.” Bread knife a little short.
Mercer Genesis 6-Piece, glass block · See today’s price	Forged knives in a tempered-glass block	About $129 at the time of Reviewed’s review	Reviewed Best Value: “Performs as well as more expensive sets.” No steel or shears.
Zwilling Pro 7-Piece block · See today’s price	8″ chef’s, 8″ bread, 5.5″ prep, 4″ paring, shears, hone, block	About $370 at the time of CNN Underscored’s review	ATK Recommended; CNN Underscored runner-up. Heavy chef’s knife, half-empty block.

ATK = America’s Test Kitchen. “Set savings” means how much less the set costs than the same knives bought one by one, as ATK worked it out.

1. Victorinox 4-Piece Fibrox set: the best set for most people

ATK’s winner. Their verdict: “This set features terrific blades that we already recommend at a nice discount by buying them together,” and “Every blade aced its testing.” You get an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 10.25-inch bread knife, a 6-inch utility knife and a 4-inch paring knife. ATK worked out a set savings of 13.4% over buying the four knives separately (America’s Test Kitchen). Victorinox’s Fibrox Pro 8″ chef’s knife is also the top pick in our chef’s knives under $100 guide.

The one complaint: ATK said the 4-inch paring knife’s “slightly bulky handle” suits people with larger hands. Reviewed tested the bigger Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Piece set and wrote the same thing: “Paring knife is bulky” (Reviewed). There is no block in the 4-piece box, so plan on a drawer insert or a magnetic strip.

Good for: almost everyone who wants a full set of working knives at once. Not for: small hands, unless you swap the paring knife for the Swiss Classic 3.25″. Also not for anyone who wants a block on the counter.

2. Mercer Millennia 3-Piece Starter Set: the budget set

ATK’s Best Buy. It holds only the three “core” knives: an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 10-inch bread knife and a 3.5-inch paring knife. ATK called it “a true bargain for a knife set less than $100” (America’s Test Kitchen). The Mercer Millennia chef’s knife is also ATK’s Best Buy chef’s knife on its own.

Here is the twist. ATK found this set has no savings at all: “you pay 18.3% more” than for the same three knives bought separately. In their words, “you can actually spend less by buying these three blades à la carte.” Like the Victorinox, the paring knife has a bulky handle that suits larger hands.

Good for: a gift, or a first kitchen, when one box is easier than three. Not for: anyone happy to order three knives. The same knives cost less that way.

3. The 3-knife kit: build your own

ATK’s guide to building a knife set says the three knives you truly need are a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife (America’s Test Kitchen). Boning knives, slicers and shears are nice for specific jobs. Everything else in a big block is optional. This is the kit we would build from knives the testers already picked:

• Chef’s knife: Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8″. ATK’s favorite chef’s knife, and the knife on Chef Tamás’s station for years (from our chef’s knives guide). See today’s price
• Paring knife: Victorinox Swiss Classic 3.25″. ATK’s Best Buy and Reviewed’s Best Value in our paring knives guide. It is also a good swap if the bulky paring knives in the sets above feel too big. See today’s price
• Bread knife: Mercer Culinary Millennia 10″ Wide Bread Knife. The bread knife in ATK’s own à la carte knife set. See today’s price

Store them on a magnetic strip or in a drawer insert. ATK says a storage block is not required and covers those options in separate reviews.

Good for: anyone who wants the best knife for each job and no spare slots. Not for: a gift that needs to arrive in one box.

4. Shun Premier 5-Piece In-Drawer Set: the splurge, no block needed

ATK’s Upgrade Pick. They praised “the effortless slicing and cutting we experienced with these beautifully designed, well-balanced, razor-sharp knives.” The set has an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 9-inch bread knife, a 6.5-inch utility knife and a 4-inch paring knife in a 7-slot wooden tray. The tray is compact enough for a counter or a drawer, so it is the pick for a kitchen with no room for a block. ATK worked out a set savings of 21.5%, and noted that Shun offers free mail-in sharpening (America’s Test Kitchen).

The downside they named: “We wish the bread knife was an inch longer, but it worked.” A 9-inch blade is short for a big round loaf.

Good for: cooks who want very sharp Japanese-style knives and a set that fits in a drawer. Not for: anyone on a budget, or anyone who bakes large loaves.

5. Mercer Genesis 6-Piece: a full block for less

Reviewed’s Best Value. Their testers wrote that it “Performs as well as more expensive sets” and has “Great balance.” The knives are forged and come in a tempered-glass block. It was about $129 at the time of their review (Reviewed). ATK did not test this set, so this pick rests on one test kitchen.

Good for: someone who wants knives and a block in one box at a mid-range price. Not for: anyone who wants shears or a honing steel included. Reviewed’s one con: “Doesn’t include honing steel or shears.”

6. Zwilling Pro 7-Piece: the gift block, with caveats

This is the classic block: an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch bread knife, a 5.5-inch prep knife, a 4-inch paring knife, shears, a hone and the block. ATK rated it Recommended and worked out the biggest set savings in its lineup, 37.8%. They also found the chef’s knife “nicely sharp with a deeply curved edge” (America’s Test Kitchen).

The testers do not all agree. ATK found the chef’s knife heavy and too big for some testers, the bread knife short, the shears lightly built and the block half-empty. Reviewed tested a Zwilling Pro 7-piece set too and listed “Heavy” and “Not well-balanced” as cons (Reviewed). CNN Underscored, on the other hand, made it its runner-up and said “it received excellent scores on performance and quality.” It was about $370 at the time of their review (CNN Underscored).

Good for: a wedding or housewarming gift that looks complete on the counter. Not for: small hands, or anyone who prefers a light knife.

What to skip

ATK rated three sets only Recommended with Reservations. The Messermeister Oliva Elite 5-Piece with its magnetic block: “the knives performed unevenly.” The Wüsthof Classic 3-Piece Starter Set: the chef’s knife “struggled while cutting butternut squash.” The Friedr. Herder Madera set: “the blade of the chef’s knife felt less agile and less sharp than others in our lineup” (America’s Test Kitchen).

In Reviewed’s test, the Global Takashi 7-Piece set came with a peeler, a steel and a block, but the testers wrote “Not particularly sharp out of the box” and “Chef’s knife lacks necessary balance” (Reviewed). Lots of pieces did not make up for a weak chef’s knife.

Knife set FAQ

Is a set cheaper than buying knives one by one?

Usually, but not always. In ATK’s test the savings ran from 37.8% on the Zwilling Pro block to none at all on the Mercer Millennia set, which cost 18.3% more than its three knives bought separately. Check the single-knife prices before you buy.

How many knives do I really need?

Three: a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife. ATK’s guide to building a set names those three as the essentials. A boning knife or a slicer only earns its place if you break down chicken or carve roasts often.

Do I need a knife block?

No. ATK says a storage block is not required. A magnetic strip or a drawer insert keeps the edges safe, and two of the three top sets here don’t come with a block anyway.

Is a knife set a good gift?

It can be. ATK says sets suit people who want to replace a mismatched drawer all at once, or who are buying a gift. For your own kitchen, the 3-knife kit is usually the better buy.

How do I keep the knives sharp?

Hone often and sharpen when honing stops working. Our sharpening guide has the full routine.

The bottom line

Buy the Victorinox 4-Piece set if you want everything in one box. It won ATK’s test, and ATK says every blade in it aced its testing. If you are happy to order three knives, build the 3-knife kit instead and skip the slots you would never fill. Buy the Shun if you want very sharp knives and a set that fits in a drawer.

Tester-ranked. Beaver-approved.

Sources

• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Knife Sets, by Lisa McManus (updated October 9, 2026)
• America’s Test Kitchen: How to Build the Best Knife Set (à la carte knife set)
• Reviewed: The Best Knife Sets, tested by Lindsay D. Mattison, Danielle DeSiato and Jenny Dorsey (updated May 16, 2025)
• CNN Underscored: The Best Kitchen Knife Sets
• Gerzsi.com: Best chef’s knives under $100 (Victorinox Fibrox Pro note)
• Gerzsi.com: Best paring knives
• Gerzsi.com: The 7-knife challenge (Chef Tamás’s quotes)

Prices are the ones the testers listed at the time of their reviews; ATK did not list set prices. Prices change often, so tap a button for today’s price. Wirecutter, Serious Eats, Good Housekeeping and Food & Wine also test knife sets, but we couldn’t read them when this guide was written, so nothing here is attributed to them. Gerzsi the beaver and his counting are made up; the test results are real.